Apple tree

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an apple tree having a moderate vigor and a good spur-bearing habit and producing a medium size fruit maturing early in the season and earlier than `Tsugaru`. The fruit has an oval shape and a conspicuous appearance caused by a relief of dense and large dots against a solid deep red colored surface, which overlays a yellowish green ground color skin, when not bagged. The flesh of the fruit is yellowish white, moderately juicy, crisp, and hard, and has a moderate sweetness, a relatively strong acidity, and an aromatic flavor, which give a good sweet-acid balance and an excellent dessert quality. The keeping quality of the fruit is superior as a cultivar maturing earlier than `Tsugaru`.

BACKGROUND OF THE VARIETY

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of appletree obtained from a natural crossing of `Tsugaru`. The fruit maturesearly in the season and earlier than `Tsugaru`. The appearance of thefruit is conspicuous because of a relief of dense and large dots formedon a solid deep red skin. The flesh of the fruit has a good sweet-acidbalance, an excellent dessert quality, and a superior keeping quality.

This breeding was aimed at obtaining a new variety of apple tree whichcan produce an early-maturing fruit having an excellent dessert quality.For this purpose, the seeds, which were obtained from a natural crossingof `Tsugaru` at the Hatakoshi farm residing at 393 Niimura,Matsumoto-shi, Nagano-ken, Japan, were sown in the same farm in 1976.These seedlings were raised naturally without grafting and the like.Among the trees raised from these seedlings and having a first crop in1984, only one tree, considered to be especially promising, wasselected.

The thus-selected apple tree according to this invention was asexuallyreproduced by top-working onto a seven-year-old `Fuji (Chofu 2)` treegrown on M26 rootstock at the farm residing at 6716-3 Katagiri,Nakagawa-mura, Kamiina-gun, Nagano-ken in the spring of 1985. The fruitobtained from this top-worked tree was compared with the fruit of themost similar varieties `Tsugaru` and `Nebuta`, and as a result, it wasconcluded that the fruit of this apple tree is clearly distinguishablefrom those of similar varieties. This new variety of apple treeaccording to this invention was named `Benihazuki`. Of these similarvarieties used for comparison, `Tsugaru` is a female parent, and`Nebuta` is a cultivar producing a solid scarlet-coloured skin fruitwhich has a high sweetness (about 15 in refractometer index) andrelatively strong acidity, and matures earlier than `Tsugaru`, e.g., inearly-to-mid August, in an area about 650 meters above sea level inNagano-ken, Japan.

`Tsugaru`, the female parent of `Benihazuki`, was selected from theseedlings of `Golden Delicious`×`unknown` crossed by the Aomoriprefectural apple experimental station in 1930, and is known as a mainearly-maturing cultivar in Japan. The main botanical characteristics of`Tsugaru` are as follows.

Tree:

Shape.--Apt to be upright while young, then gradually spreading.

Vigor.--Medium.

Bearing shoot.--Few spurs (short), but many long.

Predominance of axially flower bud.--Medium.

Thickness of one-year-old shoot.--Thin.

Length of internode.--Long.

Leaves:

Shape.--Elongated.

Length.--Short.

Length of petiole.--Short.

Flowers:

Size.--Small.

Color.--Pale pink at full bloom, and deep pink at the unopened stage.

Flowering time.--Blooming in the middle of the season, the same as`Golden Delicious`, and, for example, in late-April, in an area about650 meters above sea level in Nagano-ken, Japan.

Physiological fruit drop.--Above average pre-harvest droppings.

Fruit:

Size.--Medium, average weight 250-300 g.

Shape.--Oval.

Basin.--Medium width and depth.

Cavity.--Medium width and depth.

Color of skin.--Yellowish green ground color and a pale red colouringwith red stripes. Colouring clear when using a bag, but dull toned ifnot bagged.

Skin.--Thin, smooth, little shininess, and abundant russet. Dots aresmall and few, thus inconspicuous.

Colour of flesh.--Yellow.

Flesh.--Fine, juicy, relatively hard (14.8 lbs.), almost no water core,and little browning.

Taste.--Moderate sweetness (12.4 in refractometer index), weak acidity(0.32% maleic acid content), and an excellent dessert quality. Aromaticflavor is weak.

Maturity.--Maturing early in the season, for example, inearly-September, in an area about 650 meters above sea level inNagano-ken, Japan.

Keeping quality.--Can be kept for two to three weeks on the shelf andfor a relatively long time in cold storage. The quality is good for anearly-maturing cultivar.

Resistance to pests and diseases: Strongly resistant to rough barkdisorder, and almost no occurrence of Heart rot (Core rot).

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

The new variety of apple tree according to this invention has a moderatevigor and a good spur-bearing habit, and produces a fruit maturing earlyin the season and earlier than `Tsugaru`. The fruit has an oval shape, amedium size, and a conspicuous appearance caused by a relief of denseand large dots against a solid deep red coloured surface, which overlaysa yellowish green ground colour skin, when not bagged. The flesh of thefruit is yellowish white, moderately juicy, crisp, and hard, and has amoderate sweetness, a relatively strong acidity, and an aromatic flavor,which give a good sweet-acid balance and an excellent dessert quality.The keeping quality of the fruit is superior for an early-maturingcultivar earlier than `Tsugaru`.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a shape of the new and distinct variety ofapple tree `Benihazuki`;

FIG. 2 is a photograph of adult leaves (upper side) of the new varietyof apple tree;

FIG. 3 is a photograph of adult leaves (reverse side) of the new varietyof apple tree;

FIG. 4 is a photograph of the new variety of apple tree in bloomingcondition;

FIG. 5 is a photograph of flowers of the new variety of apple tree;

FIG. 6 is a photograph of flower buds of the new variety of apple tree;

FIG. 7 is a photograph of the new variety of apple tree in bearingcondition;

FIG. 8 is a photograph of side views of fruit of the new variety ofapple tree;

FIG. 9 is a photograph of cavities of fruit of the new variety of appletree;

FIG. 10 is a photograph of basins of fruit of the new variety of appletree;

FIG. 11 is a photograph of longitudinal-sectional views of fruit of thenew variety of apple tree; and,

FIG. 12 is a photograph of cross-sectional views of fruit of the newvariety of apple tree.

DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The botanical characteristics of the new and distinct variety of appletree `Benihazuki` are as follows.

Tree:

Shape.--Intermediate between upright and spreading.

Vigor.--Moderate.

Spur.--Bearing well.

Auxiliary flower bud.--Many.

Thickness of one-year-old shoot.--Thin.

Length of internode.--Short (2-2.5 cm).

Leaves:

Shape.--Elongated.

Length.--Short (about 8.7 cm).

Colour.--Green.

Petiole.--Long and of medium thickness.

Flowers:

Size.--Medium.

Colour.--White at full bloom, and deep pink at the unopened stage.

Amount of pollen.--Medium.

Flowering time.--Blooming at same time as `Tsugaru`, a few days earlierthan `Fuji`, and, for example, in late-April, in an area about 650meters above sea level in Nagano-ken, Japan.

Physiological fruit drop.--Slight or no early drop, and preharvest dropbelow average.

Fruit:

Size.--Medium, average weight about 250 g.

Shape.--Oval.

Basin.--Medium width and depth.

Cavity.--Medium width and depth.

Color of skin.--Yellowish green ground colour (corresponding to No. 3503of the color chart of the Japan Color Standard for Horticultural Plants,hereinafter referred to as the JHS Color Chart) with a clear solid deepred colouring (corresponding to No. 0408 of the JHS Color Chart) whennot bagged. No distinguishing stripe.

Skin.--Smooth surface, no russet, strong shininess. Showing aconspicuous appearance caused by a relief of dense and large dotsagainst the aforementioned solid deep red coloured skin. Therefore, theappearance is quite different from that of `Tsugaru`.

Color of flesh.--Yellowish white (corresponding to No. 2502 of the JHSColor Chart).

Flesh.--Moderately juicy, crisp, medium texture, hard (16 lbs.), andmoderate browning. Water core occurring when fully ripe.

Taste.--Moderate sweetness (13-15 in refractometer index, which is alittle higher than that of `Tsugaru`), relatively strong acidity (about0.56% maleic acid content, which is higher than `Tsugaru` but fallsrapidly after harvesting), no astringency, and an aromatic flavor, whichgive a good sweet-acid balance and an excellent dessert quality.

Maturity.--Maturing early in the season, 5-7 days earlier than`Tsugaru`, and, for example, in late-August, in an area about 650 metersabove sea level in Nagano-ken, Japan.

Keeping quality.--Can be kept for about 30 days on the shelf and about90 days in cold storage, for the fruit produced by the original treeraised from seedling. This quality is superior as a cultivar maturingearlier than `Tsugaru`.

Resistance to pests and diseases: Almost no occurrence of Heart rot(Core rot). Moderately resistant to Alternaria blotch, Powdery mildew,rough bark disorder, and aphid, respectively.

The original tree of this new variety `Benihazuki` is presently plantedand maintained at the Hatakoshi farm residing at 393 Niimura,Matsumoto-shi, Nagano-ken, Japan.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of apple tree, substantially asillustrated and described herein, characterized over known apple treesby (A) having a moderate vigor and a good spur-bearing habit, and (B)producing a medium size fruit having an oval shape (a) maturing early inthe season and earlier than `Tsugaru`, and (b) having (1) a superiorkeeping quality for a cultivar maturing earlier than `Tsugaru`, (2) aconspicuous appearance caused by a relief of dense and large dotsagainst a solid deep red coloured surface, which overlays a yellowishgreen ground colour skin, if not bagged, and (3) a yellowish white fleshwhich is moderately juicy, crisp and hard, has a moderate sweetness, arelatively strong acidity, and an aromatic flavor, and gives a goodsweet-acid balance and an excellent dessert quality.